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Asked if he felt that Leclerc had emerged as team leader and Vettel was now a number two, di Montezemolo responded: "Vettel is not a number two. Vettel is a number one and Leclerc is in the process to be a number one, so it is good to have two number ones."

Leclerc compared to Lauda

Di Montezemolo also said that Leclerc's attitude, and especially the way that he responded to the few mistakes he has made, reminded him of a young Niki Lauda.

"I think that Charles, even last year, was able with a not very competitive car to be quick without making mistakes," added di Montezemolo, who famously helped guide Lauda to his first Ferrari world titles.

"With Ferrari of course it is different, but he made very few mistakes.

"And like Niki at the beginning, he was only conscious why he made the mistake and [how] not to repeat it. So I think this is a very intelligent driver, very quick. Not only on one lap but also in the race, as you see.

"I think he can be maybe be the best representative of a new generation of drivers, which is very important for F1."